Neutron Activation Analysis Screening of Scintillator Material for Low Background Experiments

Low background neutrino experiments require a well understood system to avoid unwanted interference. The neutrino experiment at the SNOLAB uses certain wavelength shifters to detect low energy neutrinos. The wavelength shifters were analyzed using neutron activation analysis to determine the elemental composition of the substances and determine the amount of isotopes that could decay and interfere with the experiment. When activating the substance in a neutron flux, the decay of the activated substance emits radiation specific to the isotopes decaying in the substance. These decays are analyzed and are compared to activated samples with added isotopes to calculate initial quantities.